What is Yiddish? A Brief History Of Yiddish and Jewish Languages

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  • Опубліковано 26 лис 2024

КОМЕНТАРІ • 99

  • @mouradelamrani3820
    @mouradelamrani3820 8 місяців тому +11

    The first time I heard Yiddish was in a great intro scene of a movie that's called "A serious man". I love how it sounds.... Beautiful.
    And "Shalom aleichem" sounds a lot like Arabic "Salam alaykum"

    • @erwinklawuttke5572
      @erwinklawuttke5572 5 місяців тому +3

      and me, as a native german, understood most of it

    • @bobeczek01
      @bobeczek01 4 місяці тому

      Because that comes from Hebrew and Hebrew and Arabic have common roots

    • @Lagolop
      @Lagolop 3 місяці тому

      @@bobeczek01 The odd words are similar but Hebrew and arabic are not mutually understandable by any stretch if the imagination. BTW, there are many semitic languages.

    • @Lagolop
      @Lagolop 3 місяці тому +1

      Ya that was a good scene. That was Poylische Yiddish.

    • @EmpireOfLEMBERG
      @EmpireOfLEMBERG 2 місяці тому

      Actually in Yiddish it s not shalom alekhem BUT SHOLEM aleikhem. That s why in Yiddish we or they say ( because I don't really know well this language) shabbos and not Shabbat. They have different pronunciation. Modern hebrew has the sfardic pronunciation.

  • @adelphe1414
    @adelphe1414 2 місяці тому +5

    I am not jewish, I learned german at school and as this jewish world in eastern Europe doesn’t exist anymore, I want to learn it. While a language is alive, at least the culture is alive and, hopefully, the attitude ! It is Universal. Chears from Paris 🔆❤️

  • @lukaszrosinski77
    @lukaszrosinski77 7 місяців тому +6

    Greetings from Łódź, Poland. I started learning Yiddish because it is part of our heritage as residents of Łódź. I will enjoy watching your videos. And if you visit Łódź one day, maybe I will be speaking Yiddish by then.

  • @loverzgfz
    @loverzgfz 2 місяці тому +3

    I‘m german and jewish, not many people around me are but I‘ve found my Connection with this culture by studying yiddish as good as I can and nothing makes me more happy than this language. This language is so beautiful and I will try my best to keep it alive atleast a little bit over here 💕 everyone I meet that i tell about yiddish, i tell them that they will be able to understand it just fine cuz we‘re german. The Language scared me at First because of the alphabet but its just so much fun learning the letters, i recently read the torah for the very first time in yiddish and I‘m so proud of myslef,, all this from teaching it to myself

    • @loverzgfz
      @loverzgfz 2 місяці тому +1

      What i love the most about being a yiddish learner and being german is realizing that words I‘ve been using for so long originate from yiddish. like kitsch is my favorite one, then there is schmutz which is kinda funny to me, and i just looked it up 😭 auweia is yiddish, thats a word ive definetly used a lot hahhahaha. Knast, pleite, Pustekuchen, vermasseln,,,,, alll those german words we use so much

    • @maxbielinski2276
      @maxbielinski2276 Місяць тому

      Juuuuude

  • @clairedebbs9972
    @clairedebbs9972 9 місяців тому +2

    Hi Tamar, thanks a million, as we say here in Ireland, for your video. I will definitely watch more of these.
    As a 40 something German living in Ireland, I work in two languages and the occasional third, French, when in contact with Switzerland. So, I took up Duolingo to keep my French intact, then added Japanese, and since yesterday Yiddish.
    And I must say, I am delighted with the glorious mix of words that sound and look so familiar written in letters I have never known before written "backwards".
    I have been a huge fan of Ephraim Kishon and also introduced my 10 year old daughter to his audiobooks. His humour is one of a kind.
    Also the crime novels by Batya Gur are some of my favourites.
    And then your channel will add more and more to my knowledge and appreciation of Yiddish.
    Thanks a million again. 😊

  • @cfchh1905
    @cfchh1905 Рік тому +3

    Nice vid, Tamar. Hope there will be many more to come.

    • @tamarmeisels4637
      @tamarmeisels4637  Рік тому +2

      Thanks you so much 🙏 Hopefully many more to come 💕😊

  • @sallykirsch7506
    @sallykirsch7506 2 роки тому +2

    tamar,thank you for this video.
    i remember when we visited israel in the 70s,i knew very limited hebrew from my yeshiva elementary school,but my mother was able to get directions or
    information by talking yiddish to older people .i'm looking forward to part 2.!

    • @tamarmeisels4637
      @tamarmeisels4637  2 роки тому +1

      Thank you so much! Such an interesting story, thank you!

  • @MOandUTeam
    @MOandUTeam 11 місяців тому +3

    I just stumbled upon your channel today and I love the content. When I was growing up in the ex USSR my maternal grandmother spoke Yiddish in addition to Ukrainian, she was a wise person who had a big influence on me as a child. She always encouraged me to learn a hand craft in addition to formal education she always said, using your hands will be valuable when bad days come. My father is an orthodox Christian but we grew up secular just like the majority of people in the USSR at the time, only when I grew up I found-out that I'm jewish "you would think I should have figured it out earlier having a Yiddish speaking grand mother" but that was our life in the USSR. I'm now dedicated to learning more and to lead a jewish life. Do you happen to know or recommend any online Yiddish classes or online women conversation groups? I would love to reconnect with the language especially that I'm at lower intermediate level in German. Thank you so much.

    • @tamarmeisels4637
      @tamarmeisels4637  11 місяців тому +1

      What an incredible story! How cool! I heard good things about yiddish.biz, but it seems to have closed down. Also someone here recommended duolingo as a start!
      Other than that there is a very popular Israeli tv show Shtisel ( I still didn't watch yet 😅 ), which I understand is very cool for people who are even a little bit familiar with Yiddish.
      Best of luck!! Amazing! ❤

  • @denisivanov2801
    @denisivanov2801 2 роки тому

    Ani mekave she Idish yahzor Yom ehad! Toda raba and Shana Tova!

    • @tamarmeisels4637
      @tamarmeisels4637  2 роки тому

      Legamrei! Otzar mamash! 😊
      Shana Tova U'metuka Denis!

  • @susanjaneleitner7670
    @susanjaneleitner7670 Рік тому +1

    I admire you so much. Thank you for this thoughtful channel. Be well and stay healthy. L’Chaim ✡️❤️❤️❤️

    • @tamarmeisels4637
      @tamarmeisels4637  Рік тому +1

      Thanks so much! Really sweet of you to say ❤️ ❤️❤️

  • @CT1510
    @CT1510 7 місяців тому +1

    Learning the language and cultural and loving it!

  • @kleetus88
    @kleetus88 Рік тому +6

    look at that child with the red hair, glorious!

  • @johannaetrishamorgan6850
    @johannaetrishamorgan6850 Рік тому +1

    Thank you stay blessed 🙏

  • @seanherlihy7309
    @seanherlihy7309 Рік тому +8

    All the “experts” in the comments are very annoying I come from a Yiddish speaking family this was a great video !

    • @tamarmeisels4637
      @tamarmeisels4637  Рік тому +2

      Thank you, I really appreciate that! I know I'm not an expert, but I learnt a bit about Yiddish history and wanted to share with whoever may enjoy 😘

  • @jamiestanley9234
    @jamiestanley9234 2 роки тому +3

    This is so informative! Thank you for the great video 🙂

    • @tamarmeisels4637
      @tamarmeisels4637  2 роки тому +1

      Thank you so much Jamie! So glad you enjoyed it! 🙏

  • @HolgerReichardt
    @HolgerReichardt 6 місяців тому +2

    Hvilken slags sol har du, der smiler, når den ser dig)
    Babyer er et mirakel, du er en glad mor, jeg ønsker dig og din familie sundhed og velstand)
    Jiddisch er et meget interessant og på samme tid mystisk sprog, sandsynligvis meget gammelt og har sin egen interessante historie, tak for videoen) 😊😊😊

  • @emmanuelwood8702
    @emmanuelwood8702 7 місяців тому +1

    Ladino is archaic Spanish from the 15 century. As the Sephardic Jews have preserved it after their expulsion from Spain and Portugal in 1492.

  • @georgesfotic550
    @georgesfotic550 24 дні тому

    Dzieki bardzo, Tamar

  • @anab1872
    @anab1872 4 місяці тому

    One of my favorite Yiddish books is Wandering Stars (Blonzhende Stern), a novel by Sholem Aleichem. Mostly because I come from the area he describes in the first part. Abi gezund! Gezund und parnusa!

  • @revjohnlee
    @revjohnlee 3 місяці тому

    I am a Christian from Texas who began to visit Israel when I was 11 years old and went back regularly because I loved it. For a time, in high school, I was an exchange student in Germany. When I later studied Hebrew in seminary, I learned the story of Yiddish and found it easy. Many years later, I was employed as a hospital chaplain. After a brain tumor, my memory was not what it used to be but writing notes to refresh my memory when charting is dangerous because of HIPPA violations. Still, I needed to be able to keep notes and not have them understood by people who should not be able to read them. I briefly tried writing them in cuneiform but found that to be clumsy because I had not studied Sumerian sufficiently and because the writing system is just not efficient, especially with a pen. Then I remembered Yiddish. The tumor had lessened my proficiency in both Hebrew and German but, being Texas, I grew up speaking Spanish along with English. I had the bright idea of writing my notes out in Spanish but using Hebrew script. One day I was visiting a nice, elderly gentleman with the last name of Cohen. I asked if he wanted me to contact anyone for him and did my standard assessment. He then noticed the script I was writing in and, to my horror and amazement, was able to read and understand what I had written. He asked me how I had learned Ladino. I had never heard of Ladino before. He explained the Sephardic analog of Ashkenazi Yiddish. Those were terms I understood. He said that my vocabulary and syntax were strange but that I was writing Ladino. He too was a Texas native but his parents had come from Andalusia and the Levant. Fortunately, all I had written on that page concerned that patient and no confidential information was compromised. I miss the language skills I had prior to the tumor but find it remarkable that I accidentally learned a language I did not know the existence of because I tried to emulate the concept of Yiddish using a base language that I was more familiar with.
    שלום וברכה לך ולמשפחתך.

    • @tamarmeisels4637
      @tamarmeisels4637  3 місяці тому +1

      Wow what an incredible story 💕 wishing you all the best health and happiness 🙏
      הרבה בריאות לך ולכל המשפחה 🌺

    • @revjohnlee
      @revjohnlee 3 місяці тому

      @@tamarmeisels4637 תודה

  • @tayebizem3749
    @tayebizem3749 Рік тому

    What a beautiful language
    Am in love with the ashkinaze culture since the age of 12
    Leichaim 😅

  • @karenjohnson5634
    @karenjohnson5634 2 роки тому +1

    What a neat video! Thanks! It’s sad that the Holocaust took not only lives, but also beautiful culture. I’m glad some communities are still preserving Yiddish! ❤

    • @tamarmeisels4637
      @tamarmeisels4637  2 роки тому +1

      Thank you so much Karen! So kind of you! 🙏

    • @saffmubz
      @saffmubz 8 місяців тому

      Israel all but wiped out Yiddish culture, it was official Israeli policy.

  • @tatybond7974
    @tatybond7974 5 місяців тому

    Shalom aleichem dear Tamar, tank You for video,it is very nice and interesting for me, I have Polish root ,very interesting to learn Yiddish because it is heritage of my family, but I only
    know it from my mother's words , but very interesting She's have had some friend last name Meisel from Rovno city ,Ukraine, before that Poland, She survive from big from big f
    Seit gesund ! USA

    • @tamarmeisels4637
      @tamarmeisels4637  5 місяців тому

      Wow so special 💕💕
      Thanks for sharing 🙏😊

  • @judilewis7578
    @judilewis7578 2 роки тому +1

    My father’s side of the wall spoke Yiddish. I know only a few words. I wish I knew more.

  • @imaof4
    @imaof4 8 місяців тому

    My maternal grandparents, ע״ה, were both fluent ( ייִדיש ) speakers. They came before the Shoah. My great-grandfather (my bubbie's (באָבע) father) came to the States several years before the family, worked till he could pay their passage from the Ukraine in 1923 (bubbie, her 4 brothers and my great grandmother). It was quite fortuitous that the family came before the new, severely restrictive immigration law in terms of people from Eastern (Jews) and Southern (Italian) Europe became law. It was known as The Immigration Act of 1924 or The Johnson Reed Act, and was in full force during the Great Depression and WWII. My great-grandparents from my (זיידע) zaydie (who was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA). came over from Austria, sometime in the late 19th century.

    • @tamarmeisels4637
      @tamarmeisels4637  8 місяців тому

      Wow, fascinating family history! Thank you so much for sharing this 💕💕

  • @АнзорАушев-м4и
    @АнзорАушев-м4и 2 роки тому +2

    Wow this is so fascinating to hear thank you for informing us! I really would like to learn more about the Jewish history, but how come Jews have 2 languages? (Hebrew and aramaic)

    • @tamarmeisels4637
      @tamarmeisels4637  2 роки тому +2

      Thanks so much! I really appreciate that!
      The hebrew-aramaic languages history and when we use each is a fascinating topic in its own right (and confusing! :)
      It dates all the way back to Abraham and even before, and there are many discussions if Abraham spoke aramaic or hebrew..
      Part of the discussion is about how we view the Hebrew language - when and how it was acquired.
      Perhaps a good topic for a separate video :)

  • @Pherrora
    @Pherrora 13 днів тому

    A dank!

  • @giselaradin8100
    @giselaradin8100 2 місяці тому

    Tamara thank you, what is the meaning Shulier (maybe wrong spelling) is it a word or a name of someone?

    • @tamarmeisels4637
      @tamarmeisels4637  2 місяці тому

      💕💕
      I'm not familiar with shulier, maybe a name... Shul sounds similar, is a prayer synogoge 🧐

  • @Sipherofstone
    @Sipherofstone 8 місяців тому

    So glad I found your channel! What was the name of the yiddish program?

    • @tamarmeisels4637
      @tamarmeisels4637  8 місяців тому +1

      Thank you so much!! 🙏😊
      The part Yiddish tv show? Is called Shtisel; An ultra Orthodox friend of mine said they are super accurate the way they portray the characters and settings🎉

    • @Sipherofstone
      @Sipherofstone 8 місяців тому

      @@tamarmeisels4637 sounds great! I will have to watch. I have Ashkenazic ancestry on my mother's side and would love to learn Yiddish. Any ideas on where to start?

    • @tamarmeisels4637
      @tamarmeisels4637  8 місяців тому +1

      A few people in the comments here mentioned Duolingo 😊 maybe that could be a good start 👍

  • @DrMobiles-r9g
    @DrMobiles-r9g Місяць тому

  • @FourPi-b3u
    @FourPi-b3u 4 місяці тому

    Yiddish sounds closer to English than modern German is? Is that historical, being derived from German before it drifted further from English, or is that recent drift from it being spoken in the USA?

    • @tamarmeisels4637
      @tamarmeisels4637  4 місяці тому

      Not sure if Yiddish sounds more like English than German. 😊
      But the Yiddish speakers in us incorporated many English words and phrases into yiddish, if that's what you mean.

  • @lizaldam2157
    @lizaldam2157 8 місяців тому

    ❤❤❤

  • @FenrirFluffyFreyja
    @FenrirFluffyFreyja 6 місяців тому +2

    Yiddish is a beautiful language

  • @saffmubz
    @saffmubz 8 місяців тому

    The Holocaust gets blamed for the decline in Yiddish speakers but Israel all but wiped out Yiddish culture, it was Israeli policy. In the same way Arab Jews were forced to give up their Arab identities to be accepted in Israeli society.

  • @renedupont1953
    @renedupont1953 Рік тому

    The speaker says that Ladino is the Sephardic version of Yiddish. This statement is meaningless and untrue. Nowadays, when it comes to Yiddish, anything goes. Standards are not maintained, and a dabbler or a know-nothing becomes an "expert". As a professional Yiddish (Slavic and French) linguist whose native language is Yiddish, I would be interested in evaluating this lady's competence in spoken Yiddish. [This comment has been written by a professor of Yiddish who has taught authentic Yiddish to thousands of college students. For many years he was a Yiddish journalist, with articles published in France, Israel and America. ]

    • @tamarmeisels4637
      @tamarmeisels4637  Рік тому +6

      I think all the viewers in this video understood what I meant about Ladino being similar to Yiddish as a mix of languages, it was not meant as a scientific statement 😆
      I don't claim to be an expert, just to share some interesting information I read from a few sources, the main one - "Complete Idiot's guide to Yiddish" fascinating book by Rabbi Benjamin Blech.
      As a Yiddish expert I would expect you to be happy when others are interested in Yiddish and sharing about what they know.
      I think it's ok to share knowledge that I do have, even without anyone evaluating my spoken Yiddish competence. 😄🤗

    • @junaid1
      @junaid1 Рік тому +3

      Rene Dupont sounds like an expert in Yiddish with no common sense or decency. If you think you can do better than Ms. Meisels than why don't you open your own channel, big shot? I appreciate what she is doing!

    • @Lagolop
      @Lagolop Рік тому

      @@tamarmeisels4637 Ignore "RENNE. It's purpose in life is to troll Yiddish content to leave negative drek.

    • @Lagolop
      @Lagolop Рік тому

      @@junaid1That RENE arselick is a troll who leaves negative comments own EVERY SINGLE Yiddish vid.

  • @marksimons8861
    @marksimons8861 2 роки тому

    The problem today is that Yiddish is heavily associated with ultra-orthodox. Outside that just a few words and phrases remain in English as spoken by British Jews.
    This certainly doesn't work for me and my gay Jewish and secular identity. I'm told in NYC you're going to meet lots of Jewish gay men, but in London it ain't necessarily so.

    • @tamarmeisels4637
      @tamarmeisels4637  2 роки тому

      Interesting! Ya I think you are right, Yiddish speaking is on the rise mostly in ultra-Orthodox specific communities,
      while in the secular world mostly in a decline.
      I do understand though there are many secular universities that offer Yiddish programs and degrees, and there are also several secular Yiddish cultural institutions.

    • @marksimons8861
      @marksimons8861 2 роки тому

      @@tamarmeisels4637 In the UK?

    • @tamarmeisels4637
      @tamarmeisels4637  2 роки тому +1

      @@marksimons8861 Hey Mark! Ya in Oxford there are classes.
      Also I just googled and saw there is a yiddishcafe organization promoting Yiddish in the UK. Not sure how active it is though 😊

  • @microska2656
    @microska2656 5 місяців тому

    Why are you saying "we" you weren't even alive when all those things were happening

  • @barbaralee1241
    @barbaralee1241 3 місяці тому

    Fun video. Shmaltz means fat, not gravy

  • @liviumihai4778
    @liviumihai4778 Місяць тому

    skhoikh

  • @Io-Io-Io
    @Io-Io-Io 2 роки тому

    It's a german dialect 😁😘

    • @tamarmeisels4637
      @tamarmeisels4637  2 роки тому +2

      Interesting! I read that it is not quite a German dialect but a complete language (western Germanic language family).
      It began with German then mixed in Hebrew, Aramaic and a few other languages...

    • @Io-Io-Io
      @Io-Io-Io 2 роки тому +1

      @@tamarmeisels4637 that may very well be. I was just kidding- more or less. It has a lot of german in it, that's for sure, although one cannot call it a dialect, too many other influences.

    • @Lagolop
      @Lagolop Рік тому +1

      @@Io-Io-IoI should mention that Yiddish was around LOOOOOONG B4 standard German. In addition, Standard German is influenced by as many or more languages than Yiddish. Modern German vernacular is filled with Yiddish words terms and expression AND plenty of Hebrew ones as well.
      Blaybn gezunt ...
      PS Yiddish is based on Middle HighGerman, similar to Austrian, Bavarian and Swiss forms of German languages.

    • @MichaelHoare-bh5pg
      @MichaelHoare-bh5pg 3 місяці тому

      ​@@tamarmeisels4637Don't forget Slavonic languages such as Polish and Czech,Yiddish syntax is heavily influenced by Slavonic languages.

    • @MichaelHoare-bh5pg
      @MichaelHoare-bh5pg 3 місяці тому

      ​​​@@LagolopModern German often gets the Hebrew words indirectly via Yiddish, words like Chutzpe,Meschugge,Lockheim and Mischpoke Chutzpe=Chutzpah Meschugge=MeshugaLockheim=Le'chayim and Mischpoke=Meshpachah..Sometimes it works in reverse where German words end up in modern Hebrew via Yiddish. Shul for instance in Hebrew means synagogue which comes from German Schule and Tzimmer which in modern Hebrew means Bed and Breakfast type accommodation comes from German Zimmer meaning room.

  • @Prettyflowers1
    @Prettyflowers1 4 місяці тому

    Free palestine

  • @nunciosidereo4070
    @nunciosidereo4070 Рік тому +1

    Sorry to correct but I m pretty sure or I heavily suspect that Ladino isn t a mixture of Spanish and Hebrew or Aramaic. The speakers of Ladino can be totally understood by Spanish speakers. It just keeps some, to Spanish speakers, some arcaisms, of the period jews and moors were banished from the Hispanic monarchy.
    Idon t know how much of percent of vocabulary or gramstic comes from Hebrew but I heard that Ladino speakers Don t call their language or dialect Ladino but they call it Español. That's why I m suspicious. Sorry for my English and using this dialect of English it's not my first language. Hehe he good video though

    • @tamarmeisels4637
      @tamarmeisels4637  Рік тому +1

      Ladino is a combination of Castilian Spanish and Hebrew with bits of Aramaic, Arabic, Turkish, Greek, French, Bulgarian, and Italian. The percentages of each of these languages and ladinos full history is a great topic for another video. 😊 I'm sure there is some fascinating history there. 🤩

    • @MichaelHoare-bh5pg
      @MichaelHoare-bh5pg 23 дні тому

      That's right Ladino is mostly based on a medieval form of Spanish with additional words from Hebrew and to a lesser extent Arabic,French,Greek and Turkish.